Hello all

Firstly I wanted to note what a privilege it is to be appointed by the Board as the Chair of the CEO Selection Panel, having been on the selection panel for our current CEO in 2013. I take the responsibility of behalf of all our members very seriously to work with the panel and Board to ensure we have a candidate of at least equal capability and energy that we have experienced over recent years with Shahana. I can advise even at this early stage of recruitment we have high levels of interest in the position. I would also like to thank Shahana for her transparency in effecting a smooth transition in our leadership – her approach to corporate governance is exemplary.

From our recent Board meeting, there are two areas of interest about which I would like to prompt some forward thinking by our members. They concern our membership categories and our participation in international activities.

Regarding membership, our constitution now allows us to consider membership categories in detail, the role of registration in relation to membership, and the participation by allied professionals. The National Membership Committee has been deliberating on different options, and later this year will release a position paper for all members to review and provide comment. In preparation for considered and quality discussions, it would be great for members to start giving thought to what they value about AILA membership, and what they value about AILA membership, and how membership categories align with the various stages of a professional career.

In regard to international participation, AILA has in the past subscribed as a participating organisation to the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), but has not been actively involved in recent years, focusing instead on our domestic organisational matters. Later this year we will be calling for members to contribute to a working group to consider our future involvement in IFLA. Key questions to be considered include: How do we leverage the best outcomes from IFLA participation? How could we use it as a vehicle to engage with participant nations in the Asia Pacific region? What are the collective and individual benefits to AILA members that would result from IFLA membership? If you are interested in AILA’s international activities, keep an eye out for the call to participate in this working group, anticipated after the Festival in October.

Finally, we have awards season upon us with amazing work being shown to all of us across Australia. At the time of drafting this I look forward to attending the Queensland State Awards on behalf of the National Board on Thursday, 22 June. I also note that due to the high prevalence of regional members in Queensland, they are hosting a live web stream for regional members to tune in, which is a great innovation for participation, allowing maximum exposure of award winning work, as well as showcasing our valuable sponsors. If you are interested in how Queensland hosted the live stream, I am sure the Queensland State Manager, Georgina Scriha [email protected] would be happy to assist. And congratulations to winners across Australia at all the state awards!

Cheers

Shaun Walsh

AILA National Director